That's just the given name. What humans call him. His INTRINSIC name - the name by which the universe knows him - is still concealed, so you can't make a voodoo doll to kill him. That's just responsible.

BTW, my boss's intrinsic name is --tes6;qwarri/).(Don't include the period!)

Go down any street in America where the drug trade thrives and tell me exactly how that's working out for the neighborhood. If you think making pot/coke/meth/heroin legal to buy will solve crime problems, then you're definitely smoking too much weed in your mom's basement.

Sadly, that's not even the biggest article fail I've seen today. Canadian Press (a wire service like AP) put out an article about a murder-suicide that had one sentence that was so badly bungled that it implied the shooting was committed by the investigating officers...and I found at least three normally respectable major media outlets that ran the story without fixing it.

Go down any street in America where the drug trade thrives and tell me exactly how that's working out for the neighborhood. If you think making pot/coke/meth/heroin legal to buy will solve crime problems, then you're definitely smoking too much weed in your mom's basement.

If you think once it's legalized anyone would buy it off the streets you underestimate the pharmaceutical and tobacco industries.

Mogani:"It scared the devil out of me," said Ken Jackson, the girl's father. "We heard a couple more shots and I said 'get down.'"well hopefully the police will track this devil down before he causes any mayhem.

apoptotic:Sadly, that's not even the biggest article fail I've seen today. Canadian Press (a wire service like AP) put out an article about a murder-suicide that had one sentence that was so badly bungled that it implied the shooting was committed by the investigating officers...and I found at least three normally respectable major media outlets that ran the story without fixing it.

Go down any street in America where the drug trade thrives and tell me exactly how that's working out for the neighborhood. If you think making pot/coke/meth/heroin legal to buy will solve crime problems, then you're definitely smoking too much weed in your mom's basement.

If you think once it's legalized anyone would buy it off the streets you underestimate the pharmaceutical and tobacco industries.

Well, in a way, you both miss the point mLegalizing drugs means fewer "drug" crimes and the evaporation of that specific black market... To be replaced by a new one, for sure.But the creation of a legal outlet for recreational drugs also means new jobs and opportunities to pay the bills with legitimate income, which is what high crime areas really need.Crime won't stop, but it will be reduced and the community will partially heal.

way south:But the creation of a legal outlet for recreational drugs also means new jobs and opportunities to pay the bills with legitimate income, which is what high crime areas really need.Crime won't stop, but it will be reduced and the community will partially heal.

Well, that's the theory. Then again, drugs brought wealth into the community from the sale of drugs to outsiders (who go elsewhere lest their high-class friends know about their drug-use), so it might cut out a significant source of income even as it reduces costs (maybe) for the drug addicted in poor communities.

Go down any street in America where the drug trade thrives and tell me exactly how that's working out for the neighborhood. If you think making pot/coke/meth/heroin legal to buy will solve crime problems, then you're definitely smoking too much weed in your mom's basement.

Which is why alcoholism and crime in America greatly decreased during the era of Prohibition. Oh wait, not only did they do the exact opposite, but for some reason that I just can't put my finger on organized crime first took hold in America during that time as well.

Don't conflate the effects of drugs with the effects of prohibition. Don't buy into the lies originally spread by Hersch because he thought his business was threatened by hemp paper. Some people want an escape from reality, either as an adventure or because their lives suck - get over it.

cryinoutloud:Mogani: "It scared the devil out of me," said Ken Jackson, the girl's father. "We heard a couple more shots and I said 'get down.'"well hopefully the police will track this devil down before he causes any mayhem.

Go down any street in America where the drug trade thrives and tell me exactly how that's working out for the neighborhood. If you think making pot/coke/meth/heroin legal to buy will solve crime problems, then you're definitely smoking too much weed in your mom's basement.

If you think once it's legalized anyone would buy it off the streets you underestimate the pharmaceutical and tobacco industries.

Nice way for tobacco to get away from tobacco (and into marijuana) using the machine they have in place already, too.

Go down any street in America where the drug trade thrives and tell me exactly how that's working out for the neighborhood. If you think making pot/coke/meth/heroin legal to buy will solve crime problems, then you're definitely smoking too much weed in your mom's basement.

There wouldn't be a drug trade if they were legalized. Part of the idea is to take power away from the gangs. Also, making it legal would solve a lot of crime problems, particularly possession.

stevarooni:way south: But the creation of a legal outlet for recreational drugs also means new jobs and opportunities to pay the bills with legitimate income, which is what high crime areas really need.Crime won't stop, but it will be reduced and the community will partially heal.

Well, that's the theory. Then again, drugs brought wealth into the community from the sale of drugs to outsiders (who go elsewhere lest their high-class friends know about their drug-use), so it might cut out a significant source of income even as it reduces costs (maybe) for the drug addicted in poor communities.

It really only brings wealth to the dealers. Outsiders aren't gonna stick around after they got what they want.

Go down any street in America where the drug trade thrives and tell me exactly how that's working out for the neighborhood. If you think making pot/coke/meth/heroin legal to buy will solve crime problems, then you're definitely smoking too much weed in your mom's basement.

1) Legalizing pot would make a world of difference2) For the others, regulating it, getting some tax revenue form it (to help offset the medical and other costs) and making it not a revenue source for gangs/organized crime would be a step forward.3) See: the end of alcohol prohibition

Abacus9:stevarooni: way south: But the creation of a legal outlet for recreational drugs also means new jobs and opportunities to pay the bills with legitimate income, which is what high crime areas really need.Crime won't stop, but it will be reduced and the community will partially heal.

Well, that's the theory. Then again, drugs brought wealth into the community from the sale of drugs to outsiders (who go elsewhere lest their high-class friends know about their drug-use), so it might cut out a significant source of income even as it reduces costs (maybe) for the drug addicted in poor communities.

It really only brings wealth to the dealers. Outsiders aren't gonna stick around after they got what they want.

They don't sit on the cash tho. Its gotta go somewhere and crime already has an overhead cost.If the dealers are legit you get taxes from them and their suppliers, who have to hire someone to make the goods. All those people also pay tax, buy services. Then there's the drop in security/enforcement/corrections cost to the community.

Whether the "good money" stays where needed is a valid question. But I'm thinking less "bad money" will encourage people to vote with their feet and move to where the business is growing, away from urban shiatholes that can't get their act together.

Legalize drugs, don't legalize them. I don't care. It won't really impact me, but it will not fix gangs or urban violence. Once the corner smoke shop takes over the retail drug trade and fexex takes over the shipping, the people involved in gangs and illegal enterprises will simply move on to other illegal enterprises and continue to be scourges on society. They aren't going to suddenly going to return to school to finish that degree or take a job at McDonalds or Wal-Mart If anything the violence problem will get worse or at the least spread out of the poorer areas as they turn to robbery to replace the money they once earned selling drugs..

Legalization will also not fix any tax deficit any more than current beer and cigarette taxes serve to fix tax deficits. You could always implement a tax that made it very hard for the working man to afford drugs, which would simply serve to create a thriving black market and only further encourage the violence some thing legalization would eliminate.

Abacus9:stevarooni: way south: But the creation of a legal outlet for recreational drugs also means new jobs and opportunities to pay the bills with legitimate income, which is what high crime areas really need.Crime won't stop, but it will be reduced and the community will partially heal.

Well, that's the theory. Then again, drugs brought wealth into the community from the sale of drugs to outsiders (who go elsewhere lest their high-class friends know about their drug-use), so it might cut out a significant source of income even as it reduces costs (maybe) for the drug addicted in poor communities.

It really only brings wealth to the dealers. Outsiders aren't gonna stick around after they got what they want.

Not really even that. Dealers make pretty shiat money - the main perk is that it's tax-free. Drugs primarily funnel money out of a community, and into some Central or South American hellhole.

Legalize drugs, don't legalize them. I don't care. It won't really impact me, but it will not fix gangs or urban violence. Once the corner smoke shop takes over the retail drug trade and fexex takes over the shipping, the people involved in gangs and illegal enterprises will simply move on to other illegal enterprises and continue to be scourges on society. They aren't going to suddenly going to return to school to finish that degree or take a job at McDonalds or Wal-Mart If anything the violence problem will get worse or at the least spread out of the poorer areas as they turn to robbery to replace the money they once earned selling drugs..

Legalization will also not fix any tax deficit any more than current beer and cigarette taxes serve to fix tax deficits. You could always implement a tax that made it very hard for the working man to afford drugs, which would simply serve to create a thriving black market and only further encourage the violence some thing legalization would eliminate.

Like that huge black market on alcohol after prohibition ended, or the non-existent black market on cigarettes that the working man can always seem to somehow afford despite the taxes on cigarettes?